The 4 C’s—Clear, Correct, Concise, and Complete—form the foundation of effective technical and specification writing. Building Enclosure Consultants (BECs), however, may not be fluent in the language of specifications, often viewing it as a misunderstood second language. As a result, the work of specification writing becomes doubly challenging when collaborating with BECs.

This session explores the range of building enclosure consulting scopes and processes that directly influence building enclosure specifications, including Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), which is rapidly becoming both a high-performance building expectation and a code-driven requirement. To bring this sometimes-awkward working duet into perfect pitch, specification writers must learn to harmonize with BECs—using the 4 C’s as their common language—to clearly communicate enclosure intent, responsibilities, and performance requirements.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the 4 C’s as presented by CSI. Consider additional C’s in the specification writing process. Present these concepts to Building Enclosure Consultants.
2. Analyze the Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) process from pre-design through the 10-month warranty walkover, and apply to the specification writing process.
3. Compare the range of BECx activities, tasks, and requirements from the governing standards and organizations of NIBS, ASTM E2813 and E2947, LEED v5, USACE, and ASHRAE 90.1, and 2021 IECC.
4. Interpret the variations of the typical building consultant’s scope and processes versus BECx, and the extent of building enclosure deliverables relative to the specification writing process.

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Pamela Jergenson, FCSI, CDT, CCS, CCCA, BECxP, CxA+BE, CABS, Technical Director of Building Science Solutions Building & Construction, Intertek

Pam Jergenson is certified in several areas in the construction industry: building enclosure commissioning, air barriers; and construction documents, specifications, and contracts. Additionally, she is trained in Whole Building Airtightness Testing (WBAT) and licensed as an air barrier field auditor. With nearly 35 years of experience in building enclosures, her knowledge range includes project inception through construction and warranty phases for both new and existing building construction. Pam extends her work into building enclosure investigations and forensics, hygrothermal modeling, and building enclosure management and maintenance planning for building owners and sites across the region and the United States. Her responsibilities focus on professional development and associations by facilitating training and career pathing, conducting public speaking, working on technical committees; and reviewing guidelines, code, and related documents.